More or Less
by Songbird's Spirit
Summary: As the only one still alive in her independent unit, Danny refuses to work in groups anymore. However, after an attack on her apartment resulting in Green Arrow, a father figure to her, suffering temporary blindness. The JL hold her responsible to fill his place in the unit until he fully recovers. Is it possible for the girl who's lost everyone to risk doing it again?


**More or Less**

**~o~ **

I smiled softly at him as he slept on my couch completely out. The beer bottle in his hand was teetering dangerously and in danger of spilling on the carpet. I tiptoed over and carefully removed it from his palm before placing it in the sink and returning to his side to wipe his forehead with a damp cloth once more.

"Christ Rookie," I whispered with a small chuckle, "You're a mess."

Green Arrow mumbled something in his sleep before rolling on his side and nearly off the couch. I snorted quietly and rolled my eyes. His was adorable when he slept, not so much when he was awake, but at least he preserved it while slept. My phone suddenly rang and I dashed to answer it so the noise wouldn't wake up the man.

"Hello, who's this?" I asked.

"Ms. Harvey, is Green Arrow there?" J'onn's voice came across the speakers.

"Ah J'onn, yes he's here. Not conscious of course, but he's here." I told him.

"I figured as much. If he's not at HQ or at his place of residence…"

"Then he's usually here with me…crashing on my couch half the time." I jabbed at the sleeping man in a fond demeanor.

"Would it be insensitive to ask why he has been going to your place or residence more often as of the past few months?" J'onn asked.

"Not at all, I think he mentioned something about the fights between Roy and the other getting worse." I offered with a shrug.

"I see, can you tell him he is needed at the Hall of Justice?"

"It may take him a while. He's going to have a killer hangover J'onn."

"What is a hangover?"

"Ehh…that's probably a question to ask Shayera." I told him sheepishly.

"Um…alright then; I will ask her instead." He replied slowly, "Can you get him here sometime today at least?"

"Sure thing J'onn; by at least noon I should have him on his way alright?"

"I suppose that is acceptable. Thank you Daniela." J'onn said kindly.

"No problem Granny." I snickered.

I could almost _hear_ the Martian bristling with annoyance. "Not another word of that. I was intoxicated and-." He began to protest.

"I know what happened J'onn," I interrupted him with a quiet laugh, "Just making a joke. I'll talk to you another time."

"Goodbye," he replied and the line went dead.

I set the phone back in its cradle and with a yawn I began to get things ready. No matter how hung over the Green-clad man on my couch was, he'd wake right up at the smell of fresh pancakes and juicy bacon. Just as I got around to frying the bacon I heard I scooting against the floor and looked over to see my friend in a chair staring at a plate of uncooked bacon with a predatory gleam in his eye.

"Yo, Rookie," I waved to get his attention, "There's pancakes right over here."

I pointed to the other counter and he smiled with glee. He kissed my forehead as he passed. "You are the absolute best Danny," he beamed.

I nodded, silently agreeing with the man. We weren't in a relationship. It was more of a fatherly thing with him. I considered him a father figure, and he treated me like a daughter/friend/comrade in return. It wasn't bad at all really…besides the fact that he sometimes completely cleared out my cabinets. The man had a monster of an appetite. It was almost scary sometimes.

"You have outdone yourself this time Danny." Oliver boomed, breaking me from my daydreaming.

"Thanks Ollie…" I smiled lightly. "Hey, J'onn called. He needs you at HQ as soon as possible."

"Oh…" he mumbled with a mouth full of food, "I got it."

I smiled and moved the pan off the fryer when the bacon was done. As I let Ollie go rabid with the bacon, I washed the pan in the sink. Just as I was rinsing it off, two arms wrapped around my waist and Rookie buried his head in my shoulder. I stood still, a smile twitching at my features, and he hummed thoughtfully.

"I've got an idea." He said.

"That's dangerous." I snickered and he huffed with annoyance.

"Hush, I'm serious." He poked my ribs affectionately.

"What's your idea?"

"How about you tag along with me and meet everyone?" he suggested.

"I don't think you're allowed to do that." I murmured.

"I don't think I am either. But what's the harm?" he waved dismissively.

"Why should I come anyway? I don't have any powers." I said defensively.

Oliver gave me a disappointed look and gestured to the staff in the corner. The thing was made of reinforced bamboo and had a paper thin sheet of steel wrapped around it. There was a gilded grip with a wind-design on it that was about as long as and a little bit thicker than my forearm. I shifted my feet and crossed my arms.

"That's different Ollie."

"How?" he challenged.

"I don't want to join the JL. I don't want to be associated with them. Besides," I gestured to him, "I'm not like you or the others. My powers control the wind and I work better with people like me."

"People that control the elements?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I trailed off.

"You miss them don't you?" Oliver said it more like a statement than a question.

My partners, Terra, Iaan, and Kyle had been like me. Terra was a terrakinetic, Iaan was a hydrokinetic, and Kyle was a pyrokinetic, and I controlled the wind. Terra had been encased in volcanic stone where she had suffocated apparently, Iaan was somewhere under the ocean also assumed dead, and Kyle had gone missing and he _was_ dead. I attended his funeral. He had been murdered during a hostage taking at a bank when he tried to use his pyrokinesis to play hero. That's where he turned up, was identified, and announced dead.

A shot to the head by the robber was all it took and they still hadn't caught his killer.

I was alone, and it didn't feel right to use my powers when all my teammates were gone and dead. I felt pain and guilt every day. I pressed into Oliver's chest and he held me as I sobbed. "I was the _leader_ god damnit…" I choked out. "I can't work with others anymore."

"It's alright Daniela." Green sighed and held me.

For a moment we stayed like that. But we had to part. I cleared up my head and made the older man take a shower and I washed his clothes while that happened. Soon, he was fresh-smelling and I began to change. Putting on a brown shirt, white jacket, light-black jeans, and yellow converse sneakers I stretched before tying my brown hair up in a sloppy ponytail and adjusting my glasses on my nose. I took a long look in the mirror and smiled a little.

I looked like a nerd, granted I was a nerd, but I looked like a huge geeky nerd. There wasn't shit wrong with that either. I was smart, was one of the head psychiatrists at the local clinic and was working on publishing a book just as a hobby. Green didn't get the whole thing about how I loved to read, but he didn't talk down on it for long. I was very defensive of my reading material. There was nothing wrong with having a secret love for the Sherlock Holmes classics.

A good mystery and some detective work was a guilty pleasure. Walking out of my room to meet Green I found the living room empty. There was a note taped to my staff though.

_'Where'd he get the tape?'_ I wondered idly for a moment.

_Hey Danny,_

_Sorry for just leaving while you changed. But J'onn called again and he wasn't happy. Meet me at the coffee shop, the one that's on the block with Beggin's. I'll talk with you there later._

_See you there,_

_Ollie Q_

I smiled a little and then gave a contemplating look to my staff. On a rush decision, I grabbed the thing and had it fold inside the grip so I'd fit inside my purse. It was a lot like folding a radio antenna. I put the thing in my satchel and grabbed my car keys.

I dashed out the door, locked it, and then headed down to the lobby. My red pickup was parked on the curb. I opened the rusted door and jammed the keys in it hard. That was one of those things about having an old…whatever. There were tricks to getting the old stuff to work. After a few sputters, my dented and beat up baby went cruising down the streets with ease. Getting stuck in traffic kind of sucked, but I knew what shortcuts to take. That was the joy of having a friend in NYC.

I was new, but Oliver wasn't. And that rugged son of a bitch knew _all_ the shortcuts. With a heavy sigh, I finally got to a close enough block to park at, and walked the rest of the way there. It was pretty cold, even for August, but I guess it didn't matter. Nobody could control the weather, so we had to cope with it. The coffee shop came into view just as another cold gust blew by. I shivered when it hit.

Because I was from a warmer climate, at least by a little, I wished with a _passion _that New York wasn't so cold. No such luck from sweet Mother Nature. I dashed inside the shop and scored a booth near the back where the old and quiet jukebox was. I waved down a waiter who nodded and walked on over.

"What can I getcha?" she asked.

"A black double espresso please, and do you by chance have any scones?" I asked.

"Sure do, you want some?" she checked.

"Yes please, that's all." I smiled.

"Be right back honey." She winked and padded around to the back of the counter to fill the order.

Just then the bell roughly dinged and I whirled around, expecting the worst. But thankfully, it was just Green making yet another dramatic entrance. But he'd brought a friend I assumed. An African American man was next to him, looking slightly uncomfortable and out of place. I waved Oliver down and he smiled when he saw me. Poking at the stranger, he gestured to me. The man's chocolate eyes searched and then found me. He smiled at me in a friendly manner. I was a little confused; I had no idea who he was.

Oliver just strode on over with the stranger in tow and plopped down across from me, leaving the new person to seat himself next to me. I scooted over to make room and he smiled gratefully. I felt uncomfortable now. What was I supposed to say now? Oliver never mentioned anything about bringing a friend.

"I can tell you don't recognize me in this form." The stranger said in an _incredibly _familiar voice.

Then it hit me like a ton of hot bricks. I almost got whiplash from the speed I turned my head at. I stared at him up and down. No fucking way…it couldn't be.

"Wait a sec…J'onn?" I asked mouth agape.

The man merely smiled in an approving way. I could hardly believe that this was a J'onn. "Yes, it's me child. It is good to see you again. You look a little different than last time." He said with his gentle and deep baritone.

It had only been an hour or so ago that I had _talked_ to J'onn. But in terms of the last time I had physically seen the man…it had been over two months now.

Naturally I poked his cheek to make sure he was there. Oliver just burst out in laughter while J'onn raised an eyebrow. He was smiling in amusement, but he was still a little confused as to why I had poked him in the cheek.

"She looks like a deer caught in headlights!" Ollie rasped through his laughter and lightly pounded a fist on the table.

"You're really here?" I murmured.

As if in reply, his eyes very briefly turned a completely solid shade of intimidating sunset red before reverting back to whites and brown irises. I smiled in pure joy and impulsively threw my arms around the man and pressed into him. He stiffened at first, but relaxed and rested an arm across my back to rest his hand on my hip.

"You need to stop by for dinner or something one of these days." I said quietly as we hugged.

"I'll try to remember that." He chuckled and we parted.

While we caught up my drink arrived. I managed to keep it from the bottomless hole known as Oliver Queen, but he did manage to snag a few of my scones. As apology he promised to chip in with the bill. I smiled at him. The man wasn't a bad apple in some ways. I drank my drink, ordered J'onn some cookies which he accepted happily after the initial 'it really isn't necessary' speech he always gives, and Oliver ordered some malts for the table.

It was a pretty lax day, even J'onn found himself unwinding a little bit during the downtime. I found myself comfortable around the two. I hadn't even really known Green and Manhunter were friends. It was nice to know though. However, it didn't last forever. We all got tired of the coffee scene and we all chipped in with the bill and tip before going outside. Once we got into the lower parts of town J'onn felt comfortable enough to move around in his Martian form. Not his true form, but his cape and boots and such.

I yelped when I remembered my truck.

"Shit," I cried out.

"What's wrong Daniela?" J'onn asked.

"You alright back there?" Oliver asked.

"Forgot my truck," I explained, "It's still parked back near Beggin's." I muttered.

"Well shit," Oliver muttered then grinned, "I'm sure J'onn wouldn't mind giving you a lift back to your truck!" he giggled.

"What?! You know I hate flight when I can't control it!" I yelped.

"I will not drop you Daniela." J'onn said sounding serious.

"I know; I trust you J'onn." I muttered sheepishly.

J'onn grinned almost mischievously before swooping down, picking me up bridal style, and taking to the air while Ollie laughed below us. I screamed for a moment and linked my arms tight around J'onn's shoulders and neck. He laughed a little and readjusted me so I was pressed against his chest, one arm under my back and one under my thighs to provide easier support. I quivered a little and didn't dare peek down at how high we were.

"J'onn…" I whimpered.

"You are alright, I will not drop you." He soothed.

The ride was over sooner than I thought it'd be. "See, was that so bad?" J'onn asked as we landed.

"Yes…" I murmured stubbornly.

J'onn laughed a little at that and ushered me towards my vehicle. I climbed in the driver's seat and called out to him from inside. "You want a ride back?" I offered.

"Where are you going?" J'onn asked through the open passenger window.

"Could go home," I said thoughtfully, "But I could drive you to HQ if you want to take your time." I shrugged.

"I do not have to be at the Hall of Justice today." J'onn told me.

"Want to come back to my place? That's where we were going before the flight…I think." I chuckled awkwardly.

He seemed to think for a moment. "I suppose I could try playing passenger." J'onn sighed, climbed inside, and clicked in his seatbelt.

We drove back to my apartment in silence for a few minutes before trying to make small talk.

"Why do you live out here?" J'onn asked as I made another turn.

"I like to believe it's a little quieter down here." I said thoughtfully, "What about you? I don't imagine you live in the HQ."

"I have an apartment. I use it more often nowadays…" he answered.

"Any reason?" I asked.

"One in particular…but I'd rather not talk about it." he said sternly.

He obviously didn't want anyone to be prodding around in whatever had happened. Out of respect and a little bit of fear I didn't ask and the rest of the ride was pretty quiet.

We arrived at my apartment in a little over twenty minutes. Oliver was waiting for us outside the front doors and I began to laugh. "What's so funny?" J'onn asked.

"Poor Ollie, he doesn't have a room here. Bonnie probably kicked him out of the lobby and into the cold." I said with amused sympathy.

"Poor Ollie indeed," J'onn snickered.

**~o~**

After ushering Oliver inside the building and welcoming the two into my apartment, I seated Rookie by the heater to warm up and began making something else to eat. Just as I closed the microwave to pop some popcorn kernels there was a loud bang outside. I jumped as did the others.

"Does that happen a lot?" Arrow asked.

"No, but there are hardly ever attacks out here…" I mumbled.

"Stay behind the counter Daniela." J'onn commanded.

"Got it," I nodded.

Then everything just blew. There was a deafening sound that imploded the windows.

_'Shit, Oliver was next to the windows!'_ my head screamed. I'd worry about him as soon as I could.

But a sudden and loud thump in the living room wasn't a good sign.

I peeked over the counter to see a large figure in black leather. He had white skin and black hair. It was Lobo. I growled and extended my staff as the alien bounty hunter lifted the Martian off the ground. I gripped it and pointed at him. That's when he took notice.

"Hey babe, let's not be brash. Put down the little twig and I won't kill him…here at least." He smirked. "Nobody seems to like alien guts on their carpets these days."

"Put down…my friend…or else." I threatened calmly.

"Or else what?" the big brute took a heavy step forward and shook the room.

"I don't think you understand who you're messing with." I replied and his smirk grew wider.

"I don't think you do either sweetheart."

And he lunged. Using Green Arrow's Artful Dodger technique I dove beneath the behemoth of an alien and came up behind him. With a deep breath I unleashed my power through the staff. A wind stronger than most have ever encountered billowed from the end and coiled around him like snakes. Lobo struggled and screamed profanities and with a heave I threw him out the hole he had made in the wall. He'd dropped J'onn on the building's lawn during his fall. But that didn't make it better when the lawn was covered in glass and I lived on the fourth floor. Creating a wind gust, I threw myself into the air and onto the street without as much as a bump. I whipped my staff's end at the man and created sharp wind blades that went flying at the man.

They didn't do a lot of damage on their own. So creating another round of blades, I quickly spun the staff as a high speed, not unlike a propeller for planes, and reinforced the power they possessed. That was enough to knock him back and off his feet. I was only human, much weaker than any superhero really, so the ability to blast an enemy back and out of physical range was a practiced strategy.

However he recovered fast and wasn't even close to being done.

_'Damnit, someone better get here and quick,'_ my mind yelled urgently as I dodged over the charging hunter, _'I can't keep this up for very long!'_

**~o~**

**That's it for the first chapter MoL. I'll hopefully see you next time for chapter two!**

**Chow for now,**

**Songbird 0.o **


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